Alessandro Poletto

Alessandro Poletto is Lecturer in East Asian Religions at Washington University's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. Specializing in premodern Japanese religious history, his research examines healing practices, Buddhist material culture, and cultural exchanges between Japan and Korea during the 10th-13th centuries.

Current research investigates votive deposits in Buddhist statues and sutra burials (kyōzuka) to understand lay Buddhist practices. Publications analyze therapeutic discourses and ritual responses to natural disasters in early medieval Japan.

Prior positions include JSPS postdoctoral fellowship at Kyoto University. He holds degrees from Columbia University (PhD), Osaka University (MA), and University of Naples 'L'Orientale' (BA).